Zelinda's Story

I was born Zelinda Domenica Vitali in Pillsbury Location, on April 17, 1920. Pillsbury Location is a place just outside of Chisholm, Minnesota. We moved to Chisholm and I grew up there. I attended Lincoln School for my 1st through 6th grades, Chishom Jr. High, 7th-9th, and Chisholm High School, 10th-12th grades.

While working as a grocery checker and as secretary of the local Retail Clerks Union, I met Henry Hendrickson from Hibbing, MN on November 4, 1941. We married on January 1, 1942 and lived in Hibbing until 1946.

Our daughter, Margaret Anne, and son, Henry Joseph (Toby), were born in Hibbing on November 1, 1942, and February 21, 1944, respectively.

After Toby suffered several bouts of pneumonia, throat and ear infections, we were advised to take our family to a warmer climate. Henry had two brothers who had already migrated to Palo Alto, California, so off we went in August of 1946. On May 22, 1948, our last child, Lynda Rae, was born.

We raised our family in Palo Alto, where Henry worked in the painting trade, and I worked as a customer service representative and bookkeeper for Scott Foresman and Company (Remember Dick and Jane and Sally?) Henry and I moved in 1967, a few years before retirement, and have been living in Campbell CA in the Paseo de Palomas Mobile Home Park ever since. It's a quiet tree-shaded park with plenty of activities, including a pool, jacuzzi, and sauna, which we don't use nearly enough.

We share the hobby of shuffleboard and travel around the state of California and to Arizona to play in tournaments against other seniors. I love to cross-stitch and play BINGO and have also made teddy bears for each of my grandchildren, while Henry is busy with his rose garden and various "fix-its" around our house and for neighbors.

In September of 1962, Margaret Anne, now called Maggie, married John Dennis McLoughlin, Jr., an electronic technician in Silicon Valley, from Rio Vista in the central valley of CA. Maggie works for the Stanford University Chemical Engineering Department and is an avid Sweet Adeline (barbershop singer), who will be competing in her 6th international competition this fall in Nashville, TN. She's also a disk jockey, doing a radio program, called "The Human Voice Show", every couple of weeks on a listener-supported FM station. She plays primarily A Cappella and vocal harmony music during drive time on Tuesday mornings. She also keeps busy as a cross-stitcher/crocheter/needleworker, while John, an electronics engineer, is on the Board of Directors of two golf leagues--including the Northern California Left-Handed Golfer's Association. He'll be retiring on December 31, 1999, at which time he intends to spend more than just his Saturdays on the golf course!

They have 2 children, Anne Margaret, born October 28, 1963, and Dennis Michael, born November 27, 1964. Dennis has a daughter, Marlena Nichole Morgan, born April 14, 1992. Anne, an events planner and marketing specialist in Silicon Valley, will be marrying Paul Younan, a successful realtorin the San Jose area who attended the last family reunion with us, on August 28.

Needless to say they were not able to be with us this year--too much to do! Anne also plans events for and is an actress with the City Lights Theatre Company of San Jose. Dennis was not able to be with us for the reunion, either. He was covering for his boss who expects a baby in the next few weeks. He works at a local printing and impression business where they make special packaging for various vendors. He and his girlfriend, Mai Li Norman, hope someday to join us at La Reunione di Famiglia Vitali. However, John, Maggie and Marlena were there, and Marlena is still talking about all the relatives and the fun she had.

Lynda married Arthur Harris in June, 1974, and they have 2 children: Neil Roberts, born December 27, 1978, and Megan Denise, born February 28, 1981. They live on Bainbridge Island, WA, where Lynda works as an accountant for two different businesses. Arthur ferries across the sound to the United Airlines offices in Seattle, where he is an airline agent. Neil just finished his freshman year of college at Western Washington University. He currently works summers as a waiter on the island and is a skateboard, ski and snowboard enthusiast. When not on the slopes or hot-dogging, he loves to cook. He is studying business, and hopes to use it in the restaurant industry some day.

Megan just finished her junior year of high school on the island, and looks forward to graduating next year. She is currently doing some modeling and will be in a modeling pageant during the weekend of July 4th this year, which accounts for their absence from the reunion. Arthur loves to sail his sailboat on Seattle Sound, and Lynda is a gardener par excellence! The two of them have just taken up golf together and are enjoying it immensely.

We hope that you will consider coming to visit us in California sometime.

Approx. 5 years old